Nissan Scraps EV Plans at Mississippi Plant in Favour of Hybrids
Nissan announced on May 1 that it will cancel production of two electric SUV models at its Canton, Mississippi plant, shifting the facility to conventional and hybrid powertrains. The move follows the September 2025 expiration of the U.S. $7,500 EV tax credit and a 15% tariff on imported battery‑electric models, which have dampened demand. Nissan is redirecting the previously pledged $500 million retooling budget toward hybrid and V6‑powered vehicles, including a new Xterra hybrid. The pivot underscores the automaker’s reliance on high‑margin trucks and SUVs to sustain profitability in North America.
Waymos, Robotaxis Can Now Be Ticketed by California Police. But How Exactly?
California’s Assembly Bill 1777 takes effect on July 1, giving police the authority to issue a “notice of AV non‑compliance” and hold autonomous‑vehicle manufacturers liable for traffic violations. Waymo and other robotaxi operators must file a First Responder Interaction Plan, maintain 30‑second...
Smart Returns to Its Roots — and Scales up in Europe: Interview with CEO Smart Europe Wolfgang Ufer
Smart is reviving its iconic two‑seater with the upcoming #2 while scaling its fully electric lineup (#1, #3, #5) across Europe. Wolfgang Ufer, who took over as European lead on March 1, now oversees 17 markets and is driving a growth‑focused...
Xiaomi EV April Deliveries Top 30,000 as Growth Momentum Returns
Xiaomi’s electric‑vehicle unit reported April deliveries exceeding 30,000 units, up sharply from 21,440 in March, signaling a rebound after a volatile first quarter. The YU7 midsize SUV continued to dominate sales, reaching 231,000 cumulative deliveries within ten months and anchoring...
Schaeffler and CiDi Join Hands for Truck Autonomy
German automotive supplier Schaeffler has signed a strategic agreement with Chinese autonomous‑driving firm CiDi to fuse Schaeffler's electric drive hardware with CiDi's autonomy software for mining trucks. The partnership designates each company as a strategic supplier and preferred customer, leveraging...
Used Car Values Hold Steady Despite Economic Uncertainty
Used‑car residual values proved resilient in April, with the three‑year, 60,000‑mile benchmark slipping only 1.2% – about £220 (≈ $280) – in line with long‑term seasonal patterns. One‑year‑old cars fell 1.3% (≈ $490) while five‑year‑old models were down 0.8%, and ten‑year‑old values...
Engine Trouble Ahead? How the Strait of Hormuz Standoff Threatens Luxury Auto Giants
A prolonged standoff in the Strait of Hormuz is choking the flow of Group III and Group IV base oils, the key feedstocks for high‑performance lubricants. Prices for these base oils have surged nearly 100% in northern Europe since the Iran‑U.S. conflict...
Humanetics Launches Testing Platform to Improve Efficiency and Support NCAP 2026 Requirements
Humanetics introduced UFOnext, a next‑generation ADAS testing platform designed to meet the upcoming NCAP 2026 requirements while boosting proving‑ground efficiency. The system can accelerate to over 140 km/h quickly, shortening track length needed for high‑speed scenarios. Features such as hot‑swappable batteries, onboard...
Rotterdam The Hague Airport Trials Hydrogen-Electric Pickup Truck
Rotterdam The Hague Airport completed a week‑long trial of Toyota’s hydrogen‑electric pickup truck, pairing it with Bird Control operations from dawn to dusk. The airport, which has already electrified most of its light‑vehicle fleet, is targeting fully emission‑free ground operations...
Posco Signs US$765m Deal for 30% Stake in Australian Lithium Mines
Posco Holdings has agreed to pay $765 million for a 30 percent stake in Mineral Resources’ Mount Marion and Wodgina lithium mines in Western Australia. The joint venture will give Posco rights to produce about 37,000 tonnes of lithium hydroxide annually, enough for...
Industry Group Lobbies for EV Battery Checks to Be Added to MOT Regime
The 4R Battery Alliance, representing the UK battery supply chain, is lobbying to add mandatory EV drivetrain‑battery health checks to the MOT regime. While this year’s MOT updates introduced visual inspections of high‑voltage components, they still omit functional battery testing....
Hyundai Launches Battery Subscription Service in South Korea
Hyundai Motor Group, together with its finance arm Hyundai Capital, has launched a pilot battery‑subscription service in South Korea aimed at corporate taxi operators using Ioniq 5 electric SUVs. The program follows new Korean regulations that allow EV batteries to be...
Tata Motors Secures No.2 Position in April Passenger Vehicle Sales
Tata Motors' passenger‑vehicle division posted 59,000 domestic wholesales in April, a 30.5% year‑on‑year increase, securing the second‑largest monthly sales position. Mahindra & Mahindra ranked second for the FY26 domestic wholesale total with 56,331 units, while Hyundai, Kia, Toyota, JSW and...
Passenger Vehicle Sales Fall 10% as EVs Show Resilience, Tata Leads: Vahan Data
April 2026 saw Indian passenger‑vehicle registrations drop 10.2% month‑on‑month to 398,146 units, while electric‑vehicle (EV) registrations slipped only 1.8% to 22,677 units. The modest EV decline lifted its market share to a new high of 5.7%, up from 5.2% in...
EV Purchase Intent Reaches Record Levels, Reports Motors & Cazoo
Motors and Cazoo’s Consumer Insight Panel of 2,000 car buyers shows 55% now expect their next vehicle to be a hybrid or electric, pushing overall EV intent to a record 24%. Demand for brand‑new EVs outpaces used models, with 53%...
Allego Launches New Roaming App
Allego has launched a revamped app that aggregates its own charging stations with those of rival operators, giving users access to roughly one million points across Europe. The platform charges no extra fees and displays third‑party rates transparently – for example...
WeRide and Lenovo Target 200,000 Robotaxis in Major Expansion
WeRide and Lenovo announced an expanded partnership at Auto China 2026, aiming to deploy up to 200,000 Level‑4 autonomous vehicles worldwide within five years. The collaboration merges WeRide’s driver‑less platform with Lenovo’s AI‑focused computing and manufacturing expertise, highlighted by the...
Used EVs Are on the Upswing in America
U.S. new electric‑vehicle sales have stalled, while the used EV market is booming. Cox Automotive reports a 34% jump in used EV sales in 2025 as lease returns swell, with 300,000 EVs expected to hit the secondary market in 2026....
Hyundai Registrations to Drop in 2026 Ahead of EV Roll-Out
Hyundai Motor Group forecasts a modest 0.7% decline in global registrations for 2026, dropping to 6.33 million units. Asian markets are the only region showing growth, up 3.7%, while North America and Europe are projected to fall 2.9% and nearly 6%...
Li Auto Deliveries Hold Steady in April as L9 Livis Launch
Li Auto delivered 34,085 vehicles in April 2026, a modest 0.43% year‑over‑year increase but a 16.97% drop from March, reflecting pre‑launch softness. The automaker’s cumulative deliveries reached 1.67 million, marking a 1.91% YoY rise for the first four months of the...
Lear Margins Expand in Seating and E-Systems Q1
Lear Corporation posted first‑quarter sales of $5.8 bn, a 5% increase year‑over‑year, and core operating earnings of $297 m, up 10%. Adjusted earnings per share rose 24% to $3.87, the highest Q1 level since 2019. Both Seating and E‑Systems divisions improved margins...
Global Dealers and Media Visit LUXEED Gigafactory, Witness Its Intelligent Manufacturing Excellence
LUXEED International hosted a global dealer and media tour of its Wuhu Gigafactory, showcasing a 90,000 m² body shop and a 106,000 m² assembly workshop built to Industry 4.0 and Lighthouse standards. The plant employs over 600 intelligent robots, can produce more than...
NIO Inc. Provides April 2026 Delivery Update
NIO Inc. reported April 2026 deliveries of 29,356 vehicles, a 22.8% year‑over‑year increase, bringing year‑to‑date deliveries to 112,821—a 71% rise. The deliveries were split among its premium NIO brand (19,024), family‑oriented ONVO (5,352) and small‑car FIREFLY (4,980). The All‑New ES8...
Energy Insiders Podcast: Electric Trucks Are Profitable, but Diesel Struggles
The Energy Insiders podcast highlighted that electric trucks, especially those using Janus Electric’s battery‑swap system, are now more profitable than traditional diesel rigs. CEO Ben Hutt explained how rapid cost declines and reduced downtime make the electric model financially attractive....
Suzuki Confirms Pricing of E-Vitara, with Pre-Order Special at $46,990
Suzuki unveiled pricing for its first Australian electric SUV, the e‑Vitara. The entry‑level Motion starts at AUD 46,990 (≈USD 31,000) and the higher‑spec Ultra at AUD 56,990 (≈USD 37,600) for the first 100 pre‑orders, rising to AUD 49,990 and 58,990 thereafter. Both models use lithium‑iron‑phosphate batteries—49 kWh...
China’s Self-Driving Truck Leaders Say AI Breakthroughs Won’t Accelerate Rollout — Here’s Why
Chinese autonomous‑truck firms say recent breakthroughs in large‑language models will not speed up driverless truck deployment. Pony.ai CEO James Peng emphasized that linguistic AI skills do not translate to vehicle control, while Inceptio remains on track for a mid‑2028 commercialization...
How Road-Toll Exemptions Can Accelerate the Rollout of Electric Trucks
The EU’s revised Eurovignette Directive lets member states exempt zero‑emission trucks from distance‑based road tolls and charge diesel trucks based on CO₂ emissions. ICCT analysis of six markets shows that full toll exemptions would already bring 2026 regional‑truck total‑cost‑of‑ownership to...
The $320Bn Li-Ion Battery Market for EVs in 2036 (Video)
IDTechEx released a video projecting the global lithium‑ion battery market for electric vehicles to reach roughly $320 billion by 2036. The forecast assumes a compound annual growth rate of about 15 % as EV sales expand across passenger cars, commercial trucks, buses...
ANSI Identifies Safety, Infrastructure Priorities For EV Investments
The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) released its April 2026 Gaps Progress Report, elevating fire protection in older buildings, power export, and cable management to high‑priority safety and infrastructure issues for electric vehicles. The report updates progress on 17 of the...
Aurora and Hirschbach Expand Partnership for 500 Aurora Driver-Powered Trucks
Aurora Innovation announced an expanded partnership with Hirschbach Motor Lines to deploy 500 autonomous trucks equipped with its Aurora Driver, with deliveries slated for 2027. The agreement follows a memorandum of understanding that will later become a binding contract, creating...
Toyota to Build 3 India Plants, Tripling Output in Country
Toyota Motor announced plans to construct three new vehicle‑assembly plants in India, boosting its local capacity to roughly one million units per year by the early 2030s. The expansion will triple Toyota’s output in the country, aligning with its strategy...
Kia’s Electric Van Is About to Go on Patrol with AI Cameras and Drones
Kia Motors is set to launch the AI Patrol PV5, its first all‑electric van built on the modular E‑GMP.S platform, later this year. The vehicle will be offered in multiple configurations, from cargo to luxury camper, and a police‑specific version...
Athos Scraps Multi-Vendor Roadmap, Plans Chiplet Tape-Out
Athos Silicon, the functional‑safety chiplet startup spun out of Mercedes‑Benz, has abandoned its original multi‑vendor chiplet roadmap after Arm’s acquisition of DreamBig. The company will now tape‑out a single, purpose‑built chiplet that integrates third‑party CPU, GPU and NPU IP while...
Citroën Wants to Revive the Spirit of the 2CV With a New $18,000 EV
Citroën CEO Xavier Jardon announced plans for a new subcompact electric vehicle priced near $18,000, aiming to capture the spirit of the iconic 2CV. The model targets the affordability gap in Europe, where 60% of new‑car interest is hindered by lack...
Nexteer Puts Steer-by-Wire Into Series Production
Nexteer Automotive has launched series production of its steer‑by‑wire (SbW) system, debuting it on a Chinese new‑energy vehicle that will become the world’s first passenger car with a full drive‑by‑wire chassis. The system, certified to ASIL‑D functional safety by Germany’s...
Volvo Cars Reports Lower Q1 Revenue and EBIT in “Volatile World”
Volvo Cars, owned by Geely, reported a 12% drop in Q1 revenue to SEK 72.6bn (≈$7.8bn) and a decline in EBIT to SEK 1.6bn (≈$172m), yielding a 2.2% margin. Retail sales fell 11% YoY to 153,300 units, while net income slipped 26%...
Climate Tech Startup Voltpost Nabs DC Grant to Expand Public EV Charging: Exclusive
Voltpost, a climate‑tech startup that retrofits existing utility poles with level‑2 EV chargers, secured a $609,500 grant from the District of Columbia. The funding will enable the deployment of up to 16 pole‑mounted charging stations across the city, targeting underserved...
Carmakers Bank on $2.3B in Future Tariff Refunds
Automakers are booking anticipated tariff refunds after a February Supreme Court decision invalidated portions of the Trump administration’s import duties. Ford, GM, Mercedes‑Benz and Stellantis collectively recorded about $2.3 billion in expected reimbursements, lifting first‑quarter earnings but not yet cash flow....
GM to Invest in ICE Manufacturing
General Motors announced an $830 million infusion into three North‑American facilities to expand internal‑combustion‑engine (ICE) production. The Romulus plant will receive $300 million to boost 10‑speed transmission capacity, Toledo gets a combined $80 million for light‑duty truck transmissions, and Saginaw will add $150 million...
Porsche to End Production of ICE Macan This Summer
Porsche announced it will halt production of the internal‑combustion‑engine (ICE) Macan by mid‑2026, while stock built now will sustain sales into 2027, especially in the United States. The move follows a strong Q1 2026 demand of 10,130 ICE Macans, up...
SAIC Motor Delivers Resilient Q1 Performance as NEV, Overseas Sales Drive Growth
SAIC Motor posted a steady Q1 2026, with wholesale sales climbing 3% to 973,000 units and revenue reaching 138.52 billion yuan (≈ US$19.4 billion). Net profit edged up 0.09% to 3.03 billion yuan (≈ US$424 million), while operating cash flow surged 700% to 31.99 billion yuan (≈ US$4.5 billion)....
Nervous Humans Are GM’s Secret Weapon for Self-Driving Cars
General Motors is leveraging immersive virtual‑reality simulators equipped with biometric sensors to capture drivers’ eye movements, heart rate and perspiration during autonomous‑driving tests. The data feed AI models that refine GM’s Super Cruise system and inform the upcoming hands‑off, eyes‑off...
Can the Legacy Truck OEMs Compete with Tesla and Windrose? Do They Want To?
Tesla’s Semi has entered volume production while Chinese newcomer Windrose is already delivering Class 8 electric tractors in the United States. At the same time, legacy truck makers Volvo, Daimler and Traton are unveiling new EV models but are simultaneously lobbying...
India’s Used-Car Market Projected to Reach $70 Billion by FY31: Report
India’s used‑car market is projected to double to roughly $70 billion by FY31, up from about $35 billion in FY26. Annual sales could reach 9‑10 million units, with average transaction values of $7.8‑$8.3 k (₹6.5‑6.9 lakh). The surge is driven by rising incomes, a shortening...
How Honda, Yamaha, and Other Japanese Leaders Are Racing Towards Electric Motorcycles
Japanese motorcycle giants Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki, and Suzuki are accelerating their electric‑two‑wheel strategies, moving beyond niche scooters toward full‑size commuter models. Yamaha aims for electric bikes to represent about 30% of its new lineup, while Honda announced a dedicated EV...
Schaeffler Opens New R&D Hub in Changsha to Deepen China Innovation Push
Schaeffler inaugurated a new 5,000‑square‑meter R&D hub in Changsha, expanding its engineering footprint in China. The facility, part of the Xiangjiang Intelligent Connected Industry Incubation Base, houses 170 engineers working on electric drive, intelligent chassis and autonomous driving technologies. Core...
Source EV Charging Network Partners with Siemens and Evolt Charging to Establish UK Maintenance Partnership
Source, a joint venture between SSE and TotalEnergies, announced a UK and Ireland maintenance partnership with Siemens eMobility and Evolt Charging. Siemens will supply the charging hardware while Evolt provides field engineering, installation, commissioning and ongoing service. The arrangement gives...
"Does Anyone Even Know What a Software-Defined Vehicle Is?"
The article questions the meaning of a "software‑defined vehicle" (SDV), calling the term a vague industry buzzword. It uses BMW’s iX3 as a case study, noting that while the car runs on a software‑centric platform, its driving feel remains rooted...
Timestamp Drift and Sensor Synchronization: Small Timing Errors, Big Safety Consequences
As autonomous vehicles move from prototype to production, tiny timestamp drifts are emerging as a system‑level safety risk. Small misalignments in localization or sensor timestamps propagate through motion compensation, perception and planning, eventually distorting object positions and vehicle decisions. Conventional...
Auto Industry Ransomware Attacks More than Doubled in 2025
Ransomware attacks targeting the automotive sector more than doubled in 2024, now accounting for 44% of all publicly reported cyber incidents in the industry. Halcyon’s April 15 report links the surge to the rapid rollout of connected vehicles, cloud services, and...